The head of the union that represents IRS workers is slamming a tasteless joke about yesterday’s Austin plane crash, made today by a conservative activist.
Refferring to the anti-tax activist Grover Norquist during a speech at CPAC, Jed Babbin, the editor of Human Events, said:
And let me just say, I’m really happy to see Grover today. He was getting a little testy in the past couple of weeks. And I was just really, really glad that it was not him identified as flying that airplane into the IRS building.
In response, Colleen Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union said in a statement:
I am shocked and outraged that Jed Babbin, editor of Human Events, would dare to make light of the tragic event that took place in Austin this week by joking about someone flying an airplane into a government building. This is precisely the kind of irresponsible rhetoric that can turn frustration with policies and politics into attacks on public servants and can contribute to misguided rage against federal workers and threaten their safety.
Mr. Babbin owes IRS employees and all federal employees an apology. We need a more responsible level of discourse in our country about the work of government. Such callous, insensitive statements have no place in our country’s public dialogue.
